Today's Features

I love listening to the segment on NBC Nightly News that features people who make a difference. It is so uplifting to learn of good news in the midst of all the horrors, disasters and sadness that assault our senses, dampen spirits and cause discouragement.

Announcement is made of the forthcoming marriage of Michelle Alaine Purvis and Brad Jason Kirchenbaum, both of Charlotte. The bride-elect is the daughter of Michael and Merle Purvis of Shallotte. The prospective groom is the son of David Kirchenbaum of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Shelley Schachter of Delray Beach, Fla. A May 14 wedding is planned in Ocean Isle Beach.

The Brunswick County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service will offer its popular Master Gardener Volunteer Program beginning Feb. 8. This program is designed to teach home gardeners the basics of horticulture for coastal North Carolina.

When holiday goodies are the focus of every event from cookie exchanges to parties, the world can feel like an endless nutrition minefield. Paired with all the eating and drinking, there’s plenty of unrealistic holiday health advice from all sorts of “experts.”

The weather outside is frightful. The nighttime temperatures are unbearable. Even the day temperatures are less than desirable lately. If we don’t even want to be outside, think of how our plants must feel.

As a person who needs to be outside at least part of every day, cold weather always darkens my mood. I know they have pills for that (thank you, Lexapro), but if you’re not into better living through chemistry, another way to brighten a cold winter day is with plants that bloom now.

Adults and kids alike look forward to that customary Christmas dinner of roast turkey garnished with chestnuts, vegetables and cranberry sauce. Afterward, we all enjoy those homemade cookies and other delectable sweets.

Food is an integral part of any celebration and, of course, Christmas is no different. Most every country has its own Christmas dinner traditions but the food served differs from country to country.

The classic turkey dinner is also a traditional dish in Canada and England.

In the eastern sky, right after dark, a hero is rising and soon will take his place as the ruler of the early evening winter sky.

At the same time, over in the west, a cross adorns the sky a symbol of the present season. As the sun’s light fades away, the early evening’s darkness reveals two groups of stars in the shape of a cross and a bright rectangle. The weather is reflecting winter and so are the stars.